Super Rugby Power Rankings – Week 10

The Highlanders, Lions, Crusaders and Chiefs kept pace with the Hurricanes.

The Bulls and Jaguares made their move and the rest of the pack continued a brutal push for playoff positions. These are your week 10 Super Rugby Power Rankings.

1. Hurricanes

A bye hasn’t made a dent in the Canes ranking. They still sit at the peak of the pack and will be highly favoured to roll the Sunwolves on Friday.

2. Highlanders

They have certainly hit their straps lately and a comfortable win over the Blues pushes them ahead of the Crusaders, but only slightly.

Source: Rugby.com.au – YouTube

3. Crusaders

A bonus point win wasn’t enough to claim top billing in this week’s Power Rankings. In fact, they drop one spot after an ugly performance against the Sunwolves. They have excellent standards and they were well below them on Saturday. Expect a better performance this week.

Source: All Blacks – YouTube

4. Lions

A 29 point demolition against the Waratahs sees the Lions slot into 4th. The Lions pulled together a performance that shouts “finalist” after completely shutting down the Waratahs game plan.

5. Chiefs

The Chiefs took a well-deserved bonus point into their bye and they will be highly chuffed at the way they executed against the Reds. Losing D.Mac in the first half wasn’t ideal, but they kicked on and got the job done.

Source: Rugby.com.au – YouTube

6. Waratahs

Scoring no points at home will always impact your ranking, for the Waratahs that means a drop from 2nd to 6th after a disastrous performance.

Source: All Blacks – YouTube

7. Bulls

Their continued rise in the rankings and the fact they have shown a versatile gameplan compared to previous years suggests that this Bulls side could be on their way back to the top. They are the dark horses of this competition and can beat anyone on their day.

8. Rebels

After such a promising start to the year, the Rebels continue that downward trend towards mediocrity. The problem for them isn’t the calibre of players, it’s more their ability to stay switched on for 80 minutes. Do that and they will make the playoffs.

Source: All Blacks – YouTube

9. Sharks

A scratchy home win against the Stormers is a big result for this side. If they can win all their remaining games at home and grab a few crucial wins away, then they are a good chance of making the playoffs.

10. Jaguares

The Argentine outfit has pulled together a string of quality performances to have them sitting just outside the playoffs. A big New Zealand tour awaits and it could make or break their season.

11. Brumbies

Things haven’t quite clicked for the Brumbies in 2018. Their lack of execution was all too evident against the Jaguares. If they don’t start ticking as a unit then they could be steering down one of their worst campaigns in recent memory.

Source: All Blacks – YouTube

12. Stormers

The inability for the Stormers to win away from home has them in crisis mode. Another team that has plenty of potential but can’t quite grasp their opportunities on the pitch.

Source: All Blacks – YouTube

13. Reds

The young Reds team are an enthusiastic bunch who are probably a couple years away from hitting their straps. The hard edge culture instilled by Brad Thorn will take time to flourish and because of that, the fans should be realistic about their playoff chances.

14. Blues

Another week and another loss against a Kiwi side. If the Blues are going to make a late run for the playoffs, they must gain maximum points against the Jaguares on Saturday night.

15. Sunwolves

All too familiar with the Sunwolves and another loss keeps them firmly rooted to the bottom of the rankings.

Author: Simon van Ryn

I am a sports mad fanatic who loves watching drama filled code. Growing up in Wellington I have been fortunate enough to witness some great sporting moments at the Cake Tin – non more satisfying than seeing my beloved Hurricanes finally lift that trophy after 21 years of hurt.